Create a world-class streaming service that reconnects F1 with younger audiences all over the world, blending content and data into an intuitive, enjoyable experience.
F1’s first ever direct-to-consumer product, delivering live and on-demand race content, including all drivers’ on-board cameras, broadcast to 108 countries.
After seeing the two trends of declining TV rights deals and fewer younger people following the sport, F1 decided to launch their own direct-to-consumer OTT streaming service, commissioning us to design and build this, and work with several third parties to deliver it.
Research-led: we had been working with F1 since 2015 on an idea for a second screen product. Having developed the proof of concept for this and after taking this to beta testing, we had formed a close understanding of what F1 wanted to achieve. We adapted as the business approach shifted from a second screen app to a full consumer OTT product. We drew on our rigorous, research-led process, carrying out a thorough content and data audit, prototyping concepts and testing this with a selection of fans before going into build.
Continued improvement: our work also involved collaborating with Apple on achieving the most efficient payment journeys and introducing analytics to understand how people were using the product. After launch, we supported the product by monitoring analytics, optimising existing - and building new - features, and managing the product roadmap.
In just six months we launched F1 TV. This now includes 24 live content streams - with all 20 drivers' on-board cameras, the international broadcast feed, the pit stream, the driver tracker, and data channel - as well as F1’s archive. The service is fully aligned with F1’s new identity and has cemented F1’s offering to new and existing audiences with its forward-thinking approach to entertainment, enhancing the value of its offering.
F1 TV tackles a complex challenge for a global audience. Drawing on live race data, it is highly immersive for fans, transporting people trackside to give them the closest possible view of the action and presenting them with a unique, fascinating experience.
Fans can choose the content they want to watch. They have control over which drivers they want to follow, and for how long, with access to emerging narratives and ‘battles’ not normally seen in a single feed.
We developed a live data back end that takes data from a source in a single connection and relays it to a large number of end users. It can effectively synchronise a stream, and is designed to scale horizontally as the number of users increase.
F1 TV was built on Ostmodern’s content management system Skylark, enabling product managers to focus on the content itself through an API which allows that content to be brought to fans, wherever they are, in ways that suit them.
“ [We see the future of F1 as] investing in new platforms - digital platforms - that really are able to connect to the fans with the information that they really want, taking advantage of everything that the sport has to offer ”
Chase Carey
Chief Executive Officer, Formula One Group
